U.S. Pat. No. 8,561,399 describes a compressed air energy storage system utilizing two phase flow to facilitate heat exchange. More particularly, the patent describes a compressed-air energy storage system comprising a reversible mechanism to compress and expand air, one or more compressed air storage tanks, a control system, one or more heat exchangers, and a motor-generator. The reversible air compressor-expander uses mechanical power to compress air (when it is acting as a compressor) and converts the energy stored in compressed air to mechanical power (when it is acting as an expander). A suitable valve allows air to enter and leave the pressure cell and cylinder device, if present, under electronic control.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,531,291 generally describes a wearable personal emergency response (PER) system including one or more sensors mounted on a mobile patient. A wireless transceiver communicates with a remote station, and a processor coupled to the sensor and the wireless transceiver requests assistance if the processor detects a fall by the mobile patient.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,487,456 describes a methods and apparatus for harvesting energy from motion of one or more joints. The described energy harvester includes a generator for converting mechanical energy into corresponding electrical energy, one or more sensors for sensing one or more corresponding characteristics associated with motion of the one or more joints, and control circuitry connected to receive the one or more sensed characteristics and configured to assess, based at least in part on the one or more sensed characteristics, whether motion of the one or more joints is associated with mutualistic conditions or non-mutualistic conditions. If conditions are determined to be mutualistic, energy harvesting is engaged. If conditions are determined to be non-mutualistic, energy harvesting is disengaged.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,956,476 describes a system for harvesting footwear energy. The energy may be in a form of footwear movement which involves a compression and decompression of chambers situated in the footwear. There may be a back chamber in the heel area and a front chamber in the toe area of the footwear. The chambers may be filled with gas which moves in and out upon compression and decompression of the chambers at the heel and toe areas upon the ambulatory motion of a person wearing the footwear. The moving gas may go through a pneumatic rectifier that provides a unidirectional stream of gas to spin a micro-turbine which turns an electrical generator, or operate a pneumatic device.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,977,807 describes the use of a hydraulic or pneumatic passageway to create a wearable, portable, washable, and relatively unobtrusive device for converting movement of a relatively large portion of the human body into electricity. The described device includes a flowable substance, passageways through which the flowable substance flows that are worn over the exterior of the human body, and energy-converting members that convert the energy of the flow of the flowable substance into electricity.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,107,706 describes a medical therapy system that includes surfaces provided with adjustable contour, transient force damping and temperature. The described theory system can be applied to footwear, seating surfaces and cryotherapy devices. The cooling and cryotherapy system employs an evaporator in close proximity to skin, and therefore employs methods to reduce the risk of frostbite.
Despite the forgoing, there is a recognized need for a human motion controlled wearable refrigeration device as disclosed herein.